BZBI Learns! - History of Modern Israel

Review the history of modern Israel from the inception of Zionism to the present. The four periods of study will be the ideological formations (to 1917), Zionist autonomy in Palestine (to 1948), the problems and successes of sovereignty (to 1977) and the quest for identity and normalization (to the present). Issues to be discussed will include the structure of the old and new Yishuv, immigrations to Eretz Yisrael, British rule in Palestine, Arab-Israel wars, relationships with the great powers, sociological associations and cleavages, Israeli literature, Israel-Diaspora relations, religion and state policy interaction, the political and economic systems, constitutional issues, Arab-Israeli wars, and the peace process with Arab neighbors.

Dr. Asaf Romirowsky is a Middle East analyst and adjunct scholar at the Foundation for Defense for Democracies and the Middle East Forum. Dr. Romirowsky got his start in the policy world as a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank headed by scholar Daniel Pipes. Dr. Romirowsky is a former IDF (Israel Defense Forces) International Relations liaison officer in the West Bank and to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Dr. Romirowsky holds a BA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, master’s degrees from Villanova University and West Chester University and a doctorate from Kings College London.